The New Mexico Small Business Assistance (NMSBA) program is celebrating “10 Years of Innovation” from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 7 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th St. NW, Albuquerque.
Over the past decade, NMSBA, a partnership between Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and the state of New Mexico, has created or maintained nearly 1,550 jobs, provided 1,736 small businesses with $25.2 million worth of research hours and materials, increased small companies’ revenues by $82 million, and reduced their operating costs by $45 million.
These companies have, in turn, invested $19 million into New Mexico goods and services.
Last year, NMSBA provided $4.6 million in assistance to 339 companies in 27 counties. One local business that benefited is Eldorado Biofuels.
Through NMSBA, LANL’s Chemistry Division analyzed the composition of water created through the company’s Ultra-Violet Ozone Oxidation (UVOX) water treatment system and found that the water produced in the oil wells near Jal, had the right constituents for algal growth.
Another example is Samitaur Medical Technologies: the NMSBA project led to a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between Samitaur and LANL to develop an innovative miniaturized neurological stimulator that can be used with brain implants that regulate epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological disorders. Finally, through NMSBA, LANL, and SNL scientists helped the Santa Cruz Irrigation District determine the sources of sediment that fill the Santa Cruz reservoir, an Española Valley water source that services about 3,000 regional farms, and recommend solutions for its management.